I know it's crazy when I haven't even started updating my other fan fics (the truth of the matter is that I was in progress with a lot of updates up until my laptop decided to give up on me after almost 10 years of faithful service. And I, its loathsome mistress, never had the nerve, or common sense, to actually save up for a new one and relied solely on repairs) but I have decided to finally follow my heart's wishes and dish out a new one. This time, to answer my muse – Naruto.

I've been inclined towards Bleach for years and have been neglecting Naruto, thinking that someday, Kubo Tite would finally bump his head against a toilet seat and have enough sense for a better plot line. However, since he madly abused the great potential of the Hueco Mundo arc and the following arcs after that, ending cheaply in a WOAH-WTF-QUINCIES-MAKE-SENSE arc, I have set my sights on other manga as my main focus. And while I have gone for less mainstream manga and devoured the under-appreciated titles, I also mustered the courage to actually take a peek at Naruto where I left it off. And lo and behold, the plot has made me explode with excitement (ignoring a few questions in my head, but still…). And since that gutsy confession from my beloved gal, Hinata, (which brought me back to my former OTP in Bleach and effectively shot down my hopes that Kubo would follow through with the balls he intended Orihime to grow when he made her think that she was going to do something about the Hougyoku that he conveniently forgot as the arc progressed, leaving Orihime in a flailing, forgotten mess) I decided to give Naruto some love. And Kishimoto-san some credit.

So, here it is. An attempt at a Naruto fan fic. Featuring, of course, my ship – NaruHina. I was a main shipper of SasuSaku and KibaIno before them, since I almost always ship couples that don't feature the main character (or are crack). But that Confession chapter just broke my heart. *sobs* A bad case of rubbing salt on my already broken heart (outside of the virtual world, but yes…).

Enough of my rambling. Here goes.

Summary: The war has ended. Everything has, slowly, fallen into place. Even with the dead, Konohagakure rose from the ashes along with the Alliance, stronger than ever. Naruto stood tall, but the girl who wished to hold his hand for all time disappeared into the background – forgotten. But is that really the case?

Out of the Ashes, Into the Fire

A Naruto x Hinata Story

Chapter 1

The Dust Settling

Countless faces drowned Uzumaki Naruto's vision. Strange it would seem to him, the once discriminated, to see men, women, and children smiling up at him with all the hope, admiration, and love in their eyes. From the prankster who was considered as a bane to the society to the village's most prized hero and treasure, Naruto had come a long way. From the struggles of his shadowy and bumpy past, he rose, mightier than a phoenix, to that place where he yearned for.

He was not yet Hokage, as was his dream. But he was acknowledged by the villagers whom he once loved one-sidedly. He laid his life for them and stuck by his ninja way. He, with the help and support of his friends and comrades, finally wrote the final chapters of the cycle of hatred that has consumed so many in this world ruled by shinobi.

Uchiha Obito has done a part of his dream – he had successfully scarred the world and made a foul mark upon it. He and Uchiha Madara had not quite, thankfully, put everyone in an eternal slumber, but they had still taken away hundreds of lives that could very well start another chain of hatred. However, Uzumaki Naruto's indomitable Will of the Fire will make sure that nothing of that sort will ever happen again.

Naruto felt dazed. Even weeks after the culmination of the greatest shinobi war in the history, people were still flocking towards him. The reestablishment of Konoha was slow but sure, and everyone was filled with high hopes for the future. Many believed that the Sage of the Six Paths was reborn through Naruto. The time for peace has come.

The blonde ninja was inclined to believe that too. However, he could not completely lie to himself. As optimistic as he was, he knew that there were still people who felt the need to disturb the peace for whatever selfish reason. Peace could not be attained without effort. But for now, this moment of happiness would do.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, dobe," a flat voice said from behind him.

Naruto smirked. Uchiha Sasuke, his best friend. The once rogue ninja who had suddenly aspired to be another Hokage contender. Sasuke, even with what he did in the past in pursuit of revenge, has definitely proven himself as someone who wants to change the shinobi system in Konoha to avoid more Itachis. His elder brother, who had loved the village and sacrificed his entire being for it, was his inspiration for the drastic change in perspective.

It was too soon to say that everyone had quite forgotten what Sasuke had done, but to Naruto, it was all water under the bridge. He did not care. Sasuke was good deep down. Only three people truly believed in the goodness that lay beneath the cold exterior – him, their teammate Haruno Sakura, and their sensei, Hatake Kakashi.

The villagers and the entire shinobi army have seen Sasuke's contribution and the birth of his Will. Together, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura became the main contenders for the destruction of Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Madara. They have become the reincarnation of the Legendary Sannin.

"Can't," Naruto replied amusedly. "You might try something like this too, teme."

Sasuke ignored the jibe and spoke, "Sakura told me that we're expected at the Hokage's office."

The blonde's eyebrows furrowed. "Not another celebration. I don't ever want to see Granny Tsunade drunk again."

"I doubt it's another one of those things," Sasuke commented. The Uchiha said no more and walked away, with people respectfully (albeit a bit fearfully), making way.

The teme has got to show a bit of his friendly side to the people, Naruto thought, shaking his head slightly. "OI WAIT!" he yelled, running after Sasuke.

"Is it true, shishou?" Sakura said, staring in disbelief at Senju Tsunade, 5th Hokage of Konoha.

The older woman clasped her hands under her chin. "As much as I want to Sakura, it's only right to step down for a while."

Without warning, the doors to the Hokage's office sprang open. As usual, the only person with the gall to walk in as if he owned the place was Naruto, with a frowning Sasuke trailing closely behind.

"Knock, Naruto," Sakura said through gritted teeth. "Honestly, show some respect."

"Why did you call us in here, Tsunade-baa-chan?" Naruto asked, ignoring Sakura completely, irking the pink haired kunoichi.

But under Tsunade's reproving glare, Sakura restrained herself from punching the living daylights out of Naruto. "I've called you here," the Hokage said, "to inform you that I have decided to take an early retirement."

Sasuke's eyes widened for a fraction, searching Tsunade's face critically. From what he could see, the legendary sannin wasn't jesting. Everything he learned from this powerful kunoichi through reports and from the description of an unusually nostalgic Orochimaru, Tsunade was someone who never wanted the Hokage position in the first place. She had motivation, however, from the equally legendary dobe himself. But, after the carnage and the exhaustion of the war, no one could blame this woman, who has seen enough wars herself, to retreat into obscurity again.

Sasuke's onyx eyes moved to Sakura. She was also staring at her shishou, her face forlorn. No one could blame her. She was the closest thing Tsunade had for a daughter. He could only imagine the uncertainty Sakura must be feeling like wondering where her master would hide off to, like what she did for the previous years before being appointed as Hokage. Naruto was a grieving mess from what the dobe told him when Jiraiya died. Luckily, Sasuke never shared such a close bond with his sannin mentor, Orochimaru. The idea of closeness for the snake sannin wasn't exactly cozy and comfortable. It was the idea of closeness that equated to turning your disciple's body into a monster and doing unspeakable tests on them.

He was shaken out of his thoughts with Naruto's yell, "Why the hell would you resign, Granny?!"

There was a visible nerve ticking on Tsunade's forehead, not because of the sense of the question itself, but the way it was delivered. "I retire when I want to retire, Naruto. It's none of your business. I just called you in here to inform you."

"Where are you going, shishou?" Sakura asked in a hushed tone.

"Believe it or not, off on a mission," Tsunade replied. "A very personal one, I might add. And it may take me a long time before coming back."

"Don't try asking what the mission is, dobe," Sasuke interjected, seeing what Naruto was about to ask. "It's a mission."

Tsunade regarded the Uchiha with mild surprise. "Thank you, Sasuke," she turned to Sakura. "Don't worry, Sakura. I shall leave Shizune here. I have taken another shinobi to accompany me on this very important task. There is no assurance of return, and it seems that I and my companion are the only ones suitable for the task."

"No assurance?" Sakura repeated, her face turning pale.

Tsunade chuckled. "Well, if I decide to retreat somewhere after this tiring mission, then I won't return for a while, will I? I'd be having fun for a while."

"I still don't understand," Naruto said, turning serious. "Who's going to replace you, Granny? I can't think of you leaving at a time as crucial as this."

"The elders and the daimyo have already appointed Kakashi as my successor," the blonde kunoichi said with finality.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI?!" Naruto blurted out, almost dropping over.

"That's a fine reaction," a bored voice said from the window of the Hokage's office.

It was Kakashi, reading one of his Icha Icha novels again. "I assure you I have no intention or desire of being Hokage. As Shikamaru often says, it's too troublesome."

"Tsk," Sasuke said. "Can't imagine."

Sakura stifled a laugh. "Congratulations, Kakashi-sensei."

"Thank you, Sakura," Kakashi replied. "Now I wonder how I'm going to fill the position my sensei once held."

Everyone stopped as they turned to Naruto, who was sputtering. He seemed to be choking on something. Slowly, blood crept to his face, making it turn brick red. Sakura inched towards him, worried that he was going through a convulsion. Even Sasuke was a bit alarmed when Naruto fell on all fours, panting and sweating.

"What's wrong with you, dobe?" Sasuke asked, staring at his heaving back.

"H-how…?" Naruto gasped.

"Naruto!" Sakura said, falling to her knees and starting to examine Naruto, when suddenly Naruto jumped to his feet.

"HOW THE HELL WILL YOUR FACE LOOK LIKE ON THE MOUNTAIN WHEN IT'S HALF COVERED UP?!"

BOOM!

Hyuuga Hinata instinctively activated her Byakugan as she looked for the source of the explosion. Her kekkei genkai immediately pinpointed it as the Hokage office.

What's going on?

Without thinking twice, she immediately ran from the Hyuuga compound, flitting from roof to roof, until she reached her destination.

She had been wondering with nothing to do for the past three days. Everything had been a blur to her. With the death of her beloved cousin, Hyuuga Neji, still hanging over her like the plague, it was hard to be completely happy with everyone. It was hard to attend celebrations without thinking about the ongoing funeral service that was happening in their estate. It was hard not to think about the pain of loss of someone who was so essential to her life – someone who made and encouraged her to be strong in more ways than one.

Neji had always seemed so strong, so indomitable – the prized Hyuuga genius. A genius who was deprived of a destined birthright befitting his talents simply because of his order of birth. Hinata, who was weaker by far and who was also as timid as any plain girl, was bestowed the honor of being the next Hyuuga head. It was an honor that she never really wished to have, but she had no choice. She decided that it was an honor and responsibility she had to take to change the world. It was an honor that she would take for Neji's sake and his memory. It was an honor that she would take to walk side by side with the man she loved.

The man she loved – Uzumaki Naruto.

Months have passed since her confession. Months have passed since that battle with Pain which sometimes still left chills down her body during evenings. If she could turn back time, she would gladly sacrifice herself again for her beloved. But looking back, even with the peace that already enveloped Konoha and the world right now, there was no return to that fateful encounter. She never had any response from Naruto.

But she should see it coming. Naruto was now the hero of the village. She had willingly and happily stood by his side in accomplishing all of that. The return of her feelings never took top priority. Her only goal was to show Naruto how much she loved him. There was no need for him to reciprocate. She was happy as she was. Naruto simply had no time for anything else right now. She shouldn't be selfish.

Should she?

I've no choice. I have to do something with my life. I have to find myself before anything else… perhaps this is the way. To keep holding Naruto's hand.

She heard a yell coming from the office, shaking her from her train of thought.

She was stopped from her ascent to the tower when her eyes caught four figures in the middle of mauling what seemed like another person who was already sprawled on the floor.

From what she could see, there was nothing wrong. It seemed that Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, and Tsunade where in the middle of something. However, that didn't stop the caring kunoichi from actually swinging by to make sure everything was fine.

She perched near the window of Tsunade's office and peered in. "A-anou…?"

Four heads turned towards her, all seemingly furious. Kakashi, however, was the only one who was relaxed. He seemed to be having a lot of fun at what the other three were doing.

Doing, meaning, simultaneously pounding a seemingly lifeless body that belonged to a blonde ninja.

Blonde…

"N-Naruto-kun?!" Hinata gasped.

"Hinata!" Tsunade said. "Just in time!"

"T-Tsunade-sama!" Hinata said, still looking at Naruto. Thankfully from her Byakugan, she could see that Naruto was still alive. But maybe only just. "W-what happened?"

"Naruto was being his usual idiotic self," Sakura supplied, earning an approving glare from Sasuke.

"He took the news of my being the new Hokage well," Kakashi said amusedly, his eyes crinkling.

"I-I see," Hinata said, visibly relaxing. It seemed that Naruto had one of his hyperactive moments again.

"You're not surprised at all," Sasuke said, eyeing Hinata carefully.

"Not to worry, Sasuke," Tsunade said. "Hinata already knows about the news."

"I thought we were the first ones to know?" Sakura said. Hinata blushed at this, staring at the Hokage for help.

"Technically, the advisers and the daimyo are the first ones to know, aside from Shizune and I," Tsunade said smartly, grinning from ear to ear. "Then of course, Kakashi had to be informed, otherwise the point would be moot. The next one to be informed should be Hinata."

"Should be Hinata?" Sasuke repeated, picking up Tsunade's choice of words quickly.

"I-I volunteered to accompany Tsunade-sama on her mission," Hinata said, her voice gaining a bit of confidence which surprised everybody, along with what she said.

As sudden as the quiet came, a voice split through the silence, surprising them all and making them remember about the sixth person in the room.

Cerulean eyes clashed against white ones. "What?"

"She has already decided on this?" Hyuuga Hiashi asked his younger daughter, Hyuuga Hanabi.

"Yes, father," the girl replied. "There's nothing stopping her."

The head of the clan shook his head. "Why would she leave at a time like this? Along with the Hokage it all seems so…"

"Selfish, I know," Hanabi bravely interrupted. She knew where this conversation was heading, but she already made up her mind. She swore to Hinata. "But this is the path she has chosen for now. Let her be. She wants to be strong."

"She already is."

"Well, you haven't exactly shown her that you know that, father."

Hiashi looked at Hanabi, surprised at the boldness of her words. She was always the more outspoken and strong-willed one of his two daughters. She inherited his stubbornness and tenacity while Hinata inherited all the softness and gentleness of his wife. With his expectations, he placed all hopes on Hanabi for the future of his clan, without ever seeing the same tenacity he had in him in Hinata – Hinata who has always strived to prove herself with hard work. Neji was one of the few who saw that. And of course, there was that kid, Uzumaki Naruto.

"That kid, Uzumaki Naruto," Hiashi suddenly said, surprising Hanabi.

Hanabi stopped herself from giggling. "You noticed, father?"

"Of course I would," Hiashi said. "Only a blind man could overlook this, and we, Hyuugas, are more than any perceptive person."

"Only he doesn't seem to notice," Hanabi added ruefully. "Thankfully, onee-sama finally confessed."

"As I have heard," Hiashi said, hiding the fact that he was actually flummoxed about all of these things concerning his daughter's love life.

Hanabi was astonished as well. She never knew that their father knew that much. Poor Hinata, she thought.

"Don't tell me that she might be doing this for that kid's sake?" Hiashi finally spoke his mind.

"He's no longer that kid, father. He saved the entire village. The entire world."

"I know that. Still, even with his excellence, no man is good enough for any of my daughters."

Hanabi visibly planted her palm on her face. "Father, Hinata is doing this for herself. Yes, she might be inspired by Naruto. A little," Hiashi glared, "Okay, a lot. But she's doing this to strengthen herself. She needs to do this, father. Just give her a little trust."

"I have always given her trust," Hiashi said. "I may not have showed it, but all of those things were done to make her stronger."

"It's effective in some ways," Hanabi conceded. "But she still has to improve in a lot of ways. Only Tsunade-sama can help her now."

Hiashi stopped arguing for now. He stood up and looked outside the window of his office in the Hyuuga compound. "Has she packed yet?"

"She has," Hanabi replied, smiling at her father's acceptance.

"You will send her off?" he added.

"Yes," the young kunoichi said, standing up.

"Good," Hiashi said. There were no gentle and loving goodbye's to be expected from this man, that much Hanabi expected. But his acceptance was more than enough. Hinata would be overjoyed.

As Hanabi turned to walk out of the door, Hiashi spoke, "And Hanabi?"

Hanabi stopped. "Yes, father?"

"If Uzumaki Naruto is to come here to our house for your sister, it would only be right that you bring Sarutobi Konohamaru as well. Let's say some time this week, at the progress you two are having."

No one knew what happened next. It was safe to say that a certain kunoichi promptly fainted like her older sister so often does.

Naruto stared at Hinata's furiously blushing face. He saw her eyes flit from him, to Sakura, to Sasuke, to Kakashi, then to Tsunade. Her eyes stopped at the Hokage, who seemed to be battling with herself whether or not she would answer the blonde-haired shinobi.

"Naruto…" Tsunade started to say.

"So that means you'll be going away for a while?" Naruto asked once more, not knowing what the impact of his words was to Hinata or to anyone else observing them.

What's going on with you? Sasuke wondered. He had never seen Naruto react this way. There was a strange blankness about him, as if he had learned a few tricks from the Uchiha himself in masking his emotions. From experience, Sasuke knew that there was never anything good stemming from this sort of calm. Naruto was hiding something. And it's somehow related to this shy Hyuuga.

For all Sasuke knew, he had realized even before that Hyuuga Hinata had some sort of admiration for the dobe. He wondered so many times what the reason was, but he never pondered on them. When he was younger, it was a huge relief that not everyone in his class had a crush on him. Hyuuga Hinata had always been different – reserved, gentle. She was smart and talented, he would give her that, but she was nowhere as known as the other kunoichi of the Rookie 12. Ino, Sakura, and TenTen had always overshadowed her in some way. She was always so obscure.

Sakura suppressed a knowing smile. From what she could see, Sasuke was confused and curious at this exchange. With that, she gave a quick glance at Sasuke, silently telling him that she would supply all details later. To her surprise, the Uchiha gave a subtle nod. It was true that after the war, Sasuke and Sakura's friendship had reached a somewhat different level. Sasuke was his usual self, but he showed that he finally acknowledged Sakura as a force to be reckoned with. No doubt it was because of the Byakugou and the monstrous blow the pink haired kunoichi delivered on the juubi during the war. Sakura could even remember the way Sasuke was awed and the way he smiled at what she did.

Anyway, she had no time for her own romantic fantasies of how much closer she had gotten with Sasuke. At the very least, she had the confidence to move forward with it. And it may seem that Sasuke didn't care, but at least, he wasn't dense when somebody obviously likes him.

Whereas these two…

Naruto and Hinata definitely need a push.

Of course, no one could see the way Kakashi grinned under his mask.

From what he knew, Hinata had finally had the courage to confess her feelings to Naruto. It was done with all the dramatic effects that could make it a very effective scene in the Icha Icha novels. If only Jiraiya were to see it as inspiration…

Unfortunately, after the war, it seemed that Naruto hadn't made any step towards the Hyuuga heiress. There was absolutely no movement from his part. It seemed that Konoha's hero was too busy being the hero even after all the turmoil. Naruto had finally reached his dreams, but it seems that he was ignoring another important thing entirely.

But from what he was seeing, it seemed that that wasn't entirely the case.

"Y-yes," Hinata replied, thanking her stars that after everything that she had gone through with Naruto she no longer had the tendency to faint whenever she was around him. The constant stuttering was a habit that was a bit harder to work on but the lack of fainting was definitely an improvement.

"Why?" Naruto asked, walking towards where Hinata was.

Hinata clenched the ledge of the window where she had finally stood. She knew that she couldn't discuss details of the mission to any person, but the way Naruto's blue eyes were boring down on her made her lose her composure.

She steeled herself, however. I am a kunoichi of Konohagakure. I have to do this. "I have to do this, Naruto-kun," she said, her voice barely above a whisper yet filled with renewed determination.

"Are you going to train with baa-chan?" he asked, undeterred.

Hinata looked up in bewilderment. "Train?" she repeated.

Sakura interrupted them, "You're going to be Tsunade's disciple too, Hinata?"

At this, the Hokage cleared her throat, "Of course not. We all know that it takes the same amount and quality of chakra and control as I do to attain the same abilities. That's why, out of all the kunoichi, I chose you, Sakura."

Sakura reddened. "I know that, shishou, but still, Hinata could gain a lot from – "

"I-I am not training under Tsunade-sama, Sakura-san," Hinata said, smiling slightly. "The details of our mission can't be told, though. I apologize."

"No need," Sasuke said, to end everything else. "We should understand that above everything else." The emphasis to the word 'we' was given more meaning as he stared at Naruto pointedly.

Naruto frowned. "You don't have to go anywhere to be stronger, you know," he said, surprising Hinata. "I could help out."

"Surely you can't say that when you had to leave the village to train with Jiraiya," Kakashi said. "Let Hinata do what she wants to do. And besides, Tsunade-sama already said that this wasn't training."

"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata said, trying to appease the disturbed ninja. However, Naruto turned his back.

"Whatever," he said out of nowhere, leaving without another word.

"What's gotten into him?" Sasuke asked, turning to Sakura.

Sakura sighed. "I'm sorry, Hinata. I'm sure he just doesn't want you to go indefinitely."

Hinata's head hung low. "It's okay, Sakura-san. I'm sure he'd be sad if any of us left."

"Don't think about it too much," Tsunade said dismissively. "Start preparations, Hinata. We're going to leave soon."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," with that, Hinata left, a troubled look on her face.

"I'm not so sure about that," Sakura said.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, during Pain's attack, Hinata confessed her love to Naruto," Sakura said to make all things short for Sasuke.

Comically, Sasuke's mouth fell. Kakashi chuckled and Tsunade sighed.

"And? Dobe's upset over that?" Sasuke said.

Sakura shook her head in disappointment. "Of course. Not much has went on between them after the war. It's as if nothing happened, as far as Naruto is concerned. I don't get him. It's obvious that Hinata has been waiting a very long time. But knowing her, she'd probably tell herself that she's okay with all of this."

"That's Hinata after all," Tsunade remarked. "But we're not here to discuss their relationship. Anyway, you two had best run along and see to it that Naruto is fine. Kakashi and I still have to discuss some matters."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," Sakura said. Sasuke nodded. The two of them left quickly in search of their teammate.

"They're going to be a handful," Tsunade said, turning towards Kakashi.

"Well then, it's a good thing that I was their sensei for years. That gives me a great head start," Kakashi said, smiling once more.

That's it. For now. *wink*